Qualcomm intros new Snapdragon S4 Play quad-core CPUs, and S4 Plus MSM8930 with TD-SCDMA support

Qualcomm has announced two new quad-core mobile processors: the Snapdragon S4 Play MSM8225Q, and Snapdragon S4 Play MSM8625Q. These are upgraded versions of the dual-core MSM8225 (used in the HTC Desire X, for example) and MSM8625 processors.

The MSM8225Q and MSM8625Q are expected to ship in commercial devices starting Q1 2013. Qualcomm says they’re targeted at entry-level smartphones, despite supporting high-end features like HD (720p) displays. So it looks like we’ll have cheap quad-core handsets powered by Qualcomm, too, not just by MediaTek (which also announced its intention to introduce quad-core chips next year).

Apart from unveiling the MSM8225Q and MSM8625Q, Qualcomm also said it has added LTE-TDD and TD-SCDMA support to its dual-core Snapdragon S4 Plus MSM8930 platform, making this perfect for “mid-tier smartphones for use in China.”